


Meet Me In A Land Of Hope And Dreams

by Memories_of_the_Shadows



Series: Femmeslash February 2021 [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Babysitting, Celebrations, Complete, F/F, Femslash February 2021, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - Doom Upon All the World, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Surprise Kissing, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29762721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Memories_of_the_Shadows/pseuds/Memories_of_the_Shadows
Summary: It is a long, dark night spent waiting for news of the Inquisitor's victory over Corypheus.  Josephine is only thankful that Leliana is there to brighten her future.
Relationships: Leliana/Josephine Montilyet
Series: Femmeslash February 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187477
Kudos: 8





	Meet Me In A Land Of Hope And Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from “Land Of Hope And Dreams” by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
> 
> I do not consent to my work being hosted on any unofficial apps, especially any with ad revenue and subscription services, or any website other than ao3 unless I personally cross-posted a work.

Even though Josephine has believed that Inquisitor Adaar could first close the Breach and then defeat Corypheus from the very first time she properly met him, _seeing_ what she hopes is the end of the battle a different story.

It’s shocking and Josephine knows that things aren’t over but _this_ part is and it’s like she can breathe and _feel_ again. For this one moment, the threat is hopefully gone and she doesn’t have to scheme, plan, and bargain her way into the next success for the Inquisition.

For the moment, all Josephine is required to do is wait for official word, and ensure that the Inquisitor’s daughter continues to sleep through the night.

She stares out the window--with only a single candle lightus to see by, but the bonfires and magespells of the fighting make it seem bright as day--and listens to the soft breathing of Aglaia, the wind whistling in the eaves, and the distant clash of metal against metal, which grows fainter and fainter with each moment that passes. Josephine knows that the morning will come with more lists of casualties, more injured and dying in the already cramped Infirmary, and far, far more work for Josephine to do.

But it will be work she is happy to do. The Inquisition will no longer simply be reacting to existing threats, but they can finally start being proactive about Adaar’s agenda, about the injustices he wants to fix. Josephine has always been proud to stand by him and she will be no less proud to assist him in this as well.

Josephine just needs to know that everyone is alright. That Aglaia isn’t an orphan again, that Alkiviadis isn’t mourning his lover or any of his friends.

There will be time enough for plans in the morning. For now, there is only waiting and hoping.

The door opens with a small creak and Aglaia sighs and turns over in her sleep. Josephine glances back with her heart in her throat, hoping for good news but braced for bad.

Leliana makes her way confidently in the near dark, almost as perfectly silent in her step as ever, only haste causing her to make some noise. Her pale face looms out from under her ever present hood, and if Josephine was a superstitious person she would think her dearest friend was Muerte, the immortal first Crow who visits all who must die of natural causes and guides an assassin’s weapon if their cause is just.

Just a tale--one the Chantry isn’t fond of hearing about, at that--but many believe in her. Josephine remembers many sleepless nights spent calming Antoine after he first heard the story.

“Shh,” Josephine hisses just to speak and not because Leliana is being loud, “I don’t want her to wake up without Alkiviadis here.”

She nods and leans into Josephine, enough so that she can feel Leliana’s presence like a touch on her skin, and her breath like a kiss on Josephine’s neck. “He won, everyone but Solas is accounted for. Josie, Josie, it’s _over_.”

Josephine feels her eyes prickle and she chokes back a sob. She had thought… she had believed… but it was so different to hear it, and to hear it from _Leliana_ \--who sounds as though a great weight has been lifted from her, as though Leliana, too, can breathe again for the first time in years--makes the news even sweeter.

Before Josephine can really think about it she is leaning up to wrap arms around Leliana’s neck, pressing forward to feel Leliana’s body against hers, and surging up into a kiss.

It isn’t the first time they have kissed, nor even the fiftieth, but Leliana still tastes as sweet as Josephine remembers, still responds with just as much passion and skill as she remembers. Leliana’s arms come up to stroke Josephine’s back and crush them together even more.

The kiss gentles slowly after a long, heated press that leaves Josephine breathless. Leliana pulls away just enough to look at Josephine with something like wonder.

“After so long?” Leliana asks, gently brushing a curl behind Josephine’s ear.

And Josephine knows that it has been many years since they decided that they could not be what each other needed. Knows, too, that every letter that Josephine ever received from Leliana lifted her heart, every shared laugh and story made her grow fonder, and every month Josephine spent without Leliana was dark and dreary compared to the halcyon memories of their short time together.

Still, even though Josephine had been the one to bring up the disaster they had surely been heading to, she’d _missed_ Leliana with everything that she was. Regretted ever even thinking of parting, let alone actually doing so.

In the end, with so much joy and relief whirling in Josephine, she knows there can only be one answer.

Josephine presses her own hand to Leliana’s where it still lays on her cheek, savoring the warmth before she takes it and kisses Leliana’s fingertips--calloused from her bow string and ink-stained from her work--saying quietly so only Leliana might hear, not a secret but as something precious only for them, “forever: I spent too long missing you and doing nothing to change that.”

The morning will bring with it new obstacles, but for the moment there is just Josephine, Leliana, and hope for the future.

She’ll worry about things later. For now, Josephine just kisses Leliana again.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I _really_ ship this pairing. It crops up in everything I try to write for Josephine so I figured I would just actually write it for a change rather than pretend I can manage another ship. I hope you like it!
> 
> If you'd like, come visit me on [tumblr](https://sachinighte.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
